Listen to Serbia mía and use a personal story of heritage, distance and reconnection to develop advanced Serbian reading and discussion skills.

Beautiful Songs about Serbia - Serbia mía

Have you ever heard of this beautiful song about Serbia, by Mirko Radović? If not, I am sure you will enjoy listening to it now and come back to it because of its gentleness and a catchy tune!


In case you don't understand Spanish, I'll share with you the author's words about the song, 

"Rodio sam se daleko, i tek nakon više od 50 godina sam uspeo da se povežem sa mojom porodicom. Nikada neću zaboraviti taj trenutak. Siguran sam da su me moj otac i baba i deda gledali sa neba i da su danas jako srećni zbog toga. Ova pesma je istinita priča o mom ponovnom susretu sa domovinom, pretočena u stihove."
along with the lyrics in Spanish

*** Lyrics ***
          Serbia mía
Siento el silbido que despierta, Siento el dulce aroma de un café

Siento cada abrazo, cada beso y las caricias
Que la noche nos dejó tan solo ayer
Siento que mis manos aún te buscan
Siento que tuvimos que partir
Siento cada calle, cada plaza, cada parque
Los rincones que nos vieron sonreir…
Lo siento, Serbía mía, y volver será un nuevo empezar
Siento cada pena, cada angustia, cada llanto
Que tu rostro inocente ayer marcó
Y si la noche se acaba, celebra conmigo que el día volvió


Lo siento, Serbía mía, y lo siento cada día más y más
Siento recordar lo que fuímos, siento el fuego vil que nos quebró
No importa que estés muy lejos, la paz es tu abrigo, el sol es tu voz
Y si la noche se acaba, celebra conmigo que el día volvió
and its translation:

*** Translation *** 
Srbijo moja
Osećam zvuk koji me budi,
osećam slatki miris jutra.
Osećam svaki zagrljaj, svaki poljubac i dodire
koje nam je prošla noć ostavila.
Osećam da mi ruke još tebe traže.
Osećam da smo morali otići.
Osećam svaku ulicu, svaki trg, svaki park,
sva mesta koja su nas videla.

Osećam te, Srbijo moja
i osećam te svakim danom više i više
Osećam te Srbijo moja
i vratiću se tebi ponovo.
Sećam se što smo nekada bili.
Osećam vatru koja rastavlja
Osećam svaki bol, svaku muku, svaki krik
koje je proslost na licu ostavila.
Nije važno što si daleko,
mir je tvoj spas,
Sunce je tvoj glas.
Iako je noći kraj,
slavi sa mnom,

jer dan se vratio.

Although the song was released a few years ago, a wonderful piece of news was to learn that this song dedicated to Serbia was picked by a Peruvian corporate chain to be played in their offices :) No wonder why! Congratulations, Mirko!

A story of leaving and returning, told in song

A song about identity can support more than vocabulary practice. First separate the factual story from the emotions expressed by the speaker. Then mark language connected with family, belonging, memory and place. Compare how the same idea sounds in Spanish and Serbian, and discuss which details can be translated directly and which depend on cultural or personal context.

This song carries a real story — a family separated, a return after many years — and the vocabulary that comes with it is emotional rather than technical. Rođen sam daleko od Srbije is a sentence you understand before you have parsed it. Let the meaning arrive first and analyse the grammar afterwards.

Sentences from the story, in Latin and Cyrillic

Latin scriptCyrillic scriptEnglish
Rođen sam daleko od Srbije.Рођен сам далеко од Србије.I was born far from Serbia.
Posle mnogo godina pronašao sam svoju porodicu.После много година пронашао сам своју породицу.After many years I found my family.
Nikada neću zaboraviti taj trenutak.Никада нећу заборавити тај тренутак.I will never forget that moment.
Ova pesma govori o pripadanju i sećanju.Ова песма говори о припадању и сећању.This song is about belonging and memory.
Muzika me povezuje sa korenima.Музика ме повезује са коренима.Music connects me with my roots.

Notice the aspect pairs carrying the narrative: pronašao sam for the single completed moment, neću zaboraviti for the state that continues. The Cyrillic column is worth reading here because songs about Serbia are very often printed in Cyrillic, and this is the register where you will meet the script most.

Retelling the story

Listen once for feeling with no text, then read the sentences, then listen again. Afterwards, retell the story in three Serbian sentences of your own without looking. Retelling from memory forces you to choose words yourself, which is a different and harder skill than recognising them.

Story exercise

Translate these sentences into Serbian in both alphabets, then write three sentences about a place you have been away from.

  1. I was born far from Serbia.
  2. After many years I found my family.
  3. I will never forget that moment.
  4. This song is about belonging and memory.
  5. Music connects me with my roots.

Answers

  1. Rođen sam daleko od Srbije.
    Рођен сам далеко од Србије.
  2. Posle mnogo godina pronašao sam svoju porodicu.
    После много година пронашао сам своју породицу.
  3. Nikada neću zaboraviti taj trenutak.
    Никада нећу заборавити тај тренутак.
  4. Ova pesma govori o pripadanju i sećanju.
    Ова песма говори о припадању и сећању.
  5. Muzika me povezuje sa korenima.
    Музика ме повезује са коренима.